Her Love
by StArRy-EyEz07
Summary: His life was perfect, or so he thought. Without notice, she walked in and showed him her love. She had shined such a light on his life, and yet his soul purpose was to destroy her. At Yale, everything is a competition: cheating, lying, and loving all play part.
1. Chapter 1

_Her Love_

Although it was only the beginning of the school year, dozens of students had already camped out in the main study area of the library. The long dark mahogany tables were covered in papers, laptops, and books, while the aisles were crammed with librarians and graduate assistants scouring the shelves for the right requests. The only permissible sounds were the flipping of pages and the typing on computers. The scholarly atmosphere could be cut with a knife…

Andrew hated it.

As he weaved through the various shelves, he muttered a few curse words. Darien _always_ wanted to meet in the library at the beginning of the year. And by always, this had been their tradition for the past few years. Darien was in his last year of undergraduate study, and Andrew was starting law school.

"Why do I always have to come _meet you_? Why can't you ever come find me," Andrew grumbled as he found Darien sitting in the corner next to the Anthropology catalogues.

"Okay, first of all. Hello. How are you? And second, I try to avoid strip clubs before dark," Darien smugly responded without looking up from his book.

"That was one time, and you know very well that was a terrible break-up."

Darien rolled his eyes. Andrew was a great guy, stand-up really. But he sure knew some sleazy spots to go to when the right time just… _presented itself_. Darien couldn't believe he had gathered such a great best friend.

"Anyways, all the first-years are arriving today. It's better to be in here than be out there. _'Mom, where am I going to put my complete collection of Plato's works?' 'Let's go visit the hall named after grandfather!'_ _'Where can I join all the secret societies?'_"

Andrew smirked at his friend's impression of first-years… and how accurate it truly was. Yale University was a whole other league of crazy, especially when it came to the incoming class. They, of course, were a mixture of those who were being forced to attend by some grandparent alumnus and those who had received the golden ticket admission for being an _incredibly_ _well-rounded student_. Then, of course, there was the small group who was both, intelligently gifted through nature _and_ nurture.

"Don't forget, you were once a first-year as well," Andrew said solemnly as he took a seat across from Darien.

Darien darted his eyes to Andrew momentarily, before turning his gaze to the glass window that looked over the courtyard, "I haven't forgotten."

At this, Andrew raised an eyebrow at the nonchalant look on Darien's face. "Really now? I must have been mistaken when I thought I caught a hint of disgust in your voice when the word first-year slipped out of your mouth. "

Darien ignored this comment and continued to stare out through the window onto the courtyard. Flocks of students were out and about, and Darien studied them carefully (or at least pretended to do so). Andrew at times couldn't figure Darien out. He had known him since they were children back in prep school. Even then, his best friend was a genius who never let emotion flood into his expression casually. And as indifferent as Darien could seem about the world, Andrew knew better than to think that Darien _was indifferent_ to the world.

"Care to explain why you're studying me so intently?"

"Well, I thought I saw the most brilliant person I know," he paused to contemplate his next words carefully, "But, once again I am mistaken."

Darien smirked at the comment and looked back down at his book, idly flipping through the pages, "No, no. I am the most brilliant person you know."

"I think we'll need to move to a bigger table; one that will fit your ego," Andrew replied in amusement. "Read it again?"

Darien flipped over the small tattered book in his hands to look at the worn cover: _A Tale of Two Cities_. "What can I say? It's a good book."

"Very." Andrew leaned over and grabbed the book out of Darien's, "You know, you _can stop reading this_."

"No. No, I don't know that I can," Darien sighed. "I better go. I have class in a half-hour."

"Is this that philosophy class you were using to try to convince me not to graduate a semester early for law school?"

"Yeah. The professor is brilliant and it is extremely hard to get enrolled in the course. It's only for philosophy majors and graduate students, which I am neither."

"I am amazed," Andrew threw his arms into the air as Darien began packing his briefcase, "You know, you're going to get sick of overachieving at some point in time."

Darien grabbed the book from Andrew's hand as he walked past him on his way out of the library and coolly joked, "Only when I'm not the best in the class."

Andrew sighed, "Well, I've never seen that happen, so I guess you're enjoying every damn minute of it.

* * *

Later that evening, Darien, Andrew and a group of friends gathered at a local coffee shop to catch up. To be honest, it was the first summer that the group of friends had spent mostly apart, with the exception of Andrew and Darien who had shared an apartment in New York City. While in the Big Apple, Andrew had gone to work for his grandfather's law office handling corporate affairs and Darien had an internship with a highly-regarded investment firm. However, due to the nature of their jobs, they rarely saw each other outside of the occasional weekend run-in or drinks.

Andrew had yet to make the switch back to college mode, and Darien… well Darien was always in go mode which pretty much encompassed everything. Andrew's thoughts were broken by the shrill voice of the only girl in the group, Meryl.

"_You should have seen the look on his face when I said, 'You do know that there is a difference between being conservative and being Republican_, _right?'_" As if this was the funniest thing in the world, she flipped her hair and gave a garish laugh.

"What did you do then," someone asked from the group.

"Well, after he fumbled for the pathetic answer for a few seconds, I told him that it was okay and I wouldn't tell _anyone_ his mistake," Meryl drawled out. "Then, of course, I told everyone."

"Where did you meet this fellow," Andrew asked before he took a sip of his coffee.

"Oh, God. Somewhere in California. He was the friend of one of my co-workers from _Stanford_," Meryl whispered, almost disgusted by the university's name.

"Gross. The west coast is only good for two things: keeping the liberals in one physical location and international flights to Asia."

Everyone had a laugh before someone chimed, "You know. They're saying California might break off from the United States and float off into the ocean before it sinks."

Someone yelled save the children before they all broke out into an uproar of laughter again. Well, save Darien. He was quietly sitting in the corner closely watching his colleagues. After studying their humor for a moment, he went back to reading the newspaper and lowly cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, Darien? Is there something you wish to share with the group?"

"No, I think you've said enough for all of us for the night. Besides, I think I'm about to head out anyways," Darien said as he stood up to leave.

"Oh, is it getting a little too warm for you in here," Meryl slyly insinuated, moving to stand up. The group of friendly quietly watched as Meryl slinked over to Darien.

"It is probably due to all the hot air you are blowing out," Darien smugly replied while carefully putting on his jacket.

Everyone winced at the obvious shoot down to the sexual tension that Meryl was attempting to hint. Last year, Darien had slept with Meryl on the regular, for what reason nobody really knew. It was an awkward period that they would have rather forgotten, because while Meryl was obviously infatuated with Darien, his attraction to her was rather short-term. Right before summer, he had broken off the "relationship" (if you can call it that), leaving Meryl mourning the loss of all that power and money she would have gained through a more solid relationship with him.

Her pride obviously wounded, Meryl changed her direction from Darien to the newspaper now lying on the coffee table and snatched it up as if that was her intention all along. Seeing Darien turn to leave, Meryl called out in a sarcastic tone, "Darien, you're so _sensitive_ these days. New York City made you its _bitch_, I see."

Darien stopped and glanced back over his shoulder, "Jealous, Meryl?"

Everyone in the group looked at each other before calling to Darien to stay for a bit longer. On one hand, he had the best stories to tell and with Meryl doing all the talking they had yet to hear any tonight. On the other hand, they wanted to see Meryl have it handed to her… again.

* * *

The next day, Darien sluggishly dragged himself into the lecture hall and took a seat in the third row. For a few minutes, he just sat there rubbing his temples. For some reason, when he returned to his apartment he couldn't get to sleep. Something was bothering him, and it kept him up all night. Part of it he blamed on Meryl's shrill voice and the fact that it was still echoing around in his head. The other part he blamed on her words.

While what she said hadn't bothered him, he wondered how he could have had any sort of physical relationship with that woman. Sure she was a great lay, but god was she obnoxious. Brilliant, but obnoxious. Gorgeous, but obnoxious. Amusing (at times), but obnoxious. And he should have realized that when he (and a bottle of whiskey) encouraged the relationship, that he would most likely be the one to end it. _And now he was stuck with this_.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice as the other students began filling the room. When he looked for the first time, he noticed a few familiar faces: Sally Hurston, Greg McKenzie, and Charlie Duslworth, all philosophy majors. Each of them was brilliant in their own ways, but still human and subject to err. As more students filed into the room, he relaxed a little every time he recognized someone he considered his competition. With a few minutes until the start of the class, he counted twenty-four students in all.

_Wait, twenty-four?_

He quickly counted again, noting that one student was missing from the class. When he last checked, there were twenty-five on the roster. Who was missing?

As if on cue, she entered the room. More like stumbled. Darien stared in disbelief as he saw a _teenager_ step through the doorway. Clearly accident-prone, she straightened out the light lavender dress she was wearing. While clearly stunned by her age, Darien couldn't help but admire her beauty. She had long blonde hair that cascaded down over her shoulders to her waist, bright blue eyes, and delicate features. Her lacy floral dress was a stark contrast to the dark, fall colors of the other girls who sat in the room.

Clearly, she must be lost. He watched with amusement as she less-than-gracefully walked up to the professor and asked him a question. Expecting the professor to point her away from the classroom, he was shocked when the professor looked over her enrollment sheet she carried in her hand and then nodded in agreement.

Darien watched as the walking _Anthropologie_ cover girl made her way up to his row and took a seat a few away from his. He felt like throwing his head back and having a good laugh. She didn't honestly believe she belonged in _Science, System, and the Absolute in German Idealism_, much less Yale?

As she was settling in her seat, she happened to glance up and look over at him. She was surprised to notice he was also look at her. Darien was still stuck in his thoughts when he heard her melodic voice.

"Hi there."

He blinked and shook his head, attempting to play it off rather lightly. He took a moment to rub his temples again, thinking maybe he had imagined it all. When he looked back up, he was stunned to see she was now sitting directly next to him. If he could have tipped back out of his chair into the aisle, he would have.

"Hi. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"You… didn't."

"Oh, well, I was wondering if you knew where Green Hall is?"

"The art school?"

"Yes! I mean, I've seen it on a map. But I was hoping there were some shortcuts?"

"Are you an art major," Darien asked, failing to hide the surprise in his voice.

She bit her lip. "I guess so. Art history to be exact, but I have studio class there."

Darien nearly keeled over in his chair. He mumbled something about never visiting the art school before the professor began the lecture. She quietly thanked him and scooted back over to her chair. There were a lot of things Darien couldn't stand in this world, but _an artist?_

As the professor began his lecture, Darien watched the girl out of the corner of his eye with curiosity. She alternated between typing on her Apple laptop and writing in her notebook. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to her methods. And as Darien glanced around every once in a while, other students seemed to be just as interested in her as he was: very, but not in a good way.

At the end of the lecture, the professor hauled a large file folder onto his desk while informing the class, "Now, I know the assignment was to write a simple twenty-page report on a German philosopher of your choice. However, you were not re-inventing the wheel if you wrote about Albert Einstein, Friedrich Engels, or Karl Marx. Those of you who did, that was a deduction. I expect creativity in my class."

Darien watched as Sally Hurston, Greg McKenzie, and Charlie Duslworth all sunk lower in their seats. He looked over at his row companion, but she didn't flinch a bit from writing in her planner.

"For the remaining ten percent of you who did not write about one of those three, I was delighted at the variety. All of you wrote passable essays, but I am saddened to report that very few of you superb ones. In total, the paper was worth three-hundred ninety points, and the highest grade in the class was a three-hundred eighty-seven," the professor continued passing the gigantic accordion folder through the rows. "The papers are organized by the first letter of your last name. Please be mindful of others privacy."

Darien smirked as he thumbed through the folder to the 'S' section. Quickly, he spotted his report, pulled it out, and passed the folder over to what's-her-face, as he so aptly nicknamed her. He confidently flipped through the exactly twenty pages of his report and fifteen pages of appendices to the end where the professors grade and comments were written.

_Well written, near perfection: organized, thoughtful and direct.  
However, more emotion needs to be inserted into the text, but otherwise a fine report.  
Points deducted for lofty assertions made by the author, despite having the research to support them. See comments throughout paper for breakdown.  
Please stick to the facts, Mr. Shields._

_386_

Darien couldn't believe his eyes. Three-hundred eighty-six? But the professor said the best score was a three eighty-seven. He must have been mistaken, or perhaps written Darien's score down incorrectly. Immediately, Darien began to haphazardly flip through the pages which were _sparsely_ scattered with red ink.

He didn't bother to even look back at Sally, Greg or Chuck, but began to frantically glance around the room. Maybe a graduate student had received the marks? Or a philosophy major?

But as he searched, he couldn't spot anyone with that _spark_ in their eye. The one that says, "I'm the best you fools!"

Then it donned on him, and slowly he turned around in his chair to stare at the girl a few seats down from him. The lone smiley face on the cover of the report said it all. _She had received the highest score in the class_.

Throughout the remainder of the class, he sat in a daze. She had outscored him: a teenage girl who looked like she worked at Calvin Klein. _Pathetic_. The second the professor dismissed class Darien bolted out of the room. He was too disgusted with himself to stay any longer.

* * *

Back at his apartment, Darien slammed the door closed after he walked in. Andrew jumped up from the leather couch, attempting to hide the fact that he was eating Kentucky Fried Chicken. Darien didn't even bother to look at him as he stormed into the kitchen.

"How was class today," Andrew called out.

"Let's not even go there."

"Didn't you get your papers back? How'd you do," Andrew sang teasingly to Darien.

Darien's silence was more harsh than usual. Slightly curious, Andrew walked into the kitchen where Darien was drinking a beer and staring at a folder on the counter.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Just drop it."

"You look like you just got a B+ on a paper," Andrew joked, but when Darien didn't respond, he grew worried.

"You didn't-"

"No Andrew, I did not," Darien replied in a less-than-enthusiastic tone and threw his paper over to Andrew.

As Andrew flipped through the papers he gave small sounds indicating he was impressed.

Darien simply huffed at Andrew's appreciation. "It wasn't the best grade in the class."

"Right, I got that. Who was?"

Darien remained silent and threw Andrew a folder. Andrew began flipping through it, and when he realized what it was he asked, "Where did you get this?"

"I slept with a girl who works in admissions," Darien replied, but when he saw the look on Andrew's face, he quickly added, "A long time ago. Not to get this, you idiot."

The folder in Andrew's hands had dozens of print-outs of a girl's Yale application. Andrew flipped through essays, letters of recommendation, and transcript after transcript. Finally, at the end was a picture she submitted for her student identification card.

"Wait, _this is the girl who got a higher score than you_?"

Darien was pulling another beer out of the refrigerator, when turned and gave Andrew a blank stare.

"She received good grades, a nearly perfectly ACT and SAT score, captain of the tennis team- Hey, which reminds me we're still on to play today right?"

"Forget tennis. You don't get it. She smart, not brilliant. I don't care if she deserves it. Hell, if that were the case then Mother Theresa would have received her Doctorate from Yale without even opening a book."

"Let us not forget you didn't open a book that one semester and you did just fine."

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?"

"_This class is based on ranking_. The professor will only give out so many grades based on how well you do in the class. He's also the last professor I need to get a perfect set of recommendation letters for graduate school. He only gives one recommendation per class per semester to his _top student_."

"So that's why you wanted so desperately to take this course."

"Yes, that's why. But this… _girl_ will screw everything up. I have planned this out. I meticulously picked this schedule. Do you think I just happened to save one of the most difficult classes to take at this university for my senior year?"

Andrew just sat there dumbfounded.

"The answer is a big fat hell no."

"Darien, _I know you_. You want this more than you need it. I get it, but maybe she deserves the grade, and maybe you should work harder." But the moment those words left his mouth, he immediately wished he could swallow them back again.

Darien stared at Andrew with more malice than Andrew knew was possible. "She just got lucky."

"I thought you didn't believe in luck," Andrew barely managed to respond.

"I don't."

* * *

A week later, Andrew caught Darien as he was walking out of the main arts and humanities building. One look at Darien's face showed that he wasn't too happy. After quickly taking a look around, Andrew decided that there were too many witness if things went wrong with Darien.

"Hey! How did your test go?"

"You really want to know," Darien asked sarcastically. He was walking so quickly Andrew had to practically run to keep up.

"Well, yeah."

"I received a ninety-eight percent."

"On a comprehensive overview of German philosophy essay exam? There's no way she could have-"

Darien's pace quickened, and Andrew stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh my God. She received a perfect score…"

**{Starry} | {May 2012}**

_**Hello there! So this is the first revise chapter I have done in… two years! Huzzah! It's so exciting to be able to re-write this. I was thankful that I was able to re-do some of the awful dialogue. Sorry there was not too much Serena in this chapter, but look for her in the next one or the following. Also, can I say how difficult it is to **__**edit**__**? I mean, for however long it took me to write this chapter, it probably took more than twice that amount to go back and change things. Yeesh. Anyways! So glad to have this written. Maybe I will get some new fans or maybe the old ones will be surprised to see a notification regarding this story in their inbox. Who knows! **_


	2. Chapter 2

_Her Love: Chapter 2_

Darien could not believe he was doing this. It was absolutely ridiculous, disgusting, and reprehensible that he was here. What little soul he imagined he had left was about to be sucked out of his body and given to the devil as a sacrifice for his greatest desires and wishes.

"Hi Meryl."

"You're early," Meryl drawled as she sat down at the bar.

"No, you're late," Darien muttered back. _Approximately an hour late._

"Oh, really? I guess I should wear a watch."

Darien could already feel his body's natural reaction to Meryl's close proximity kick in. It took everything he had to not run away as quick as possible. Meryl inched closer. Darien ordered another whiskey. It was going to be a long evening, especially since he had to ask a _favor_ of her.

"Bartender. Can you make that a double whiskey?"

Meryl, on the other hand, had been late on purpose for a few reasons. First, drinks with Darien was a big deal, therefore, she needed to look like a big deal. Despite Meryl's emphasis of intelligence sprinkled with insult, she was actually quite beautiful. Her natural dark brown hair gently brushed her shoulders, styled in a straight bob. Although her eyes appeared black (much like her soul), at close glance in the sunlight one could see they were actually a dark violet with flecks of brown. Her pale skin was flawless and her delicate cheekbones were the signature characteristic of her pure-bred east coast family.

All of these features were highlighted by the barely-there make-up and designer black dress she had meticulously picked out for the evening. She originally worried that the extra effort would be obvious to Darien and in the end she'd end up looking more like a fool than a vixen. Plus, Meryl also knew that the extra time would result in being late, something Darien extremely frowned upon. However, the moment she sat down, she noticed the lingering glance in Darien's eye. And in that split moment, she knew that her extra efforts were well-calculated. She was gorgeous… and well, he was a man; brilliant, but still a man.

Second, Meryl had needed to spread the news of her and Darien's "date." Before she made it to the bar, she swung by the apartment of a friend to casually say hello and to ask for a book she had no intentions of reading. Of course, all of their close friends were there, including Darien's best friend Andrew. This ordeal wasn't supposed to take a lot of time, but after Meryl told the group her evening plans, Andrew became very interested in what Darien planned to discuss. It took her forever to shake him off and leave.

And third, Meryl wanted to see if this was fluke. She originally planned to show up a half-hour late anyways. If this was something casual and unimportant, Darien would have been long gone from the bar by the time she arrived. She could blow it off and blame it on her earlier evening happenings. However, if he was still there in spite of his hatred for tardiness, Meryl knew that whatever Darien wanted to talk about was dear to him. And this knowledge would serve her greatly down the road.

Meryl cleared her throat.

"What?"

"I would like a drink at some point in time before this place closes. The bartender seems oblivious to this fact," Meryl sneered. Darien rolled his eyes. He could either snap at Meryl which would draw this whole ordeal out longer than necessary or he could just get the bartender's attention and order the damn drink.

"Bartender. Gin and tonic," Darien commanded with an air of cockiness that Meryl could not help but adore. Her eyes watched Darien carefully as he flicked his credit card to the bartender without a second thought and handed her the drink.

"How sweet of you to remember, Darien."

Truth be told, the only reason Darien remembered her drink was because he refused to kiss her after she had a few. There was nothing worse than sex with an intoxicated pine tree. He had already had a few hard liquor drinks and was planning to have more before their conversation was done; Darien needed to take every precaution to ensure he did not drunkenly agree to sleep with her tonight.

"I suppose." Darien grimaced.

Meryl let Darien down another glass of whiskey before she decided to make conversation, "So. Let's cut to the chase. Why am I here?"

Darien sighed, "I need a favor."

Meryl's eyes twinkled with delight. "A favor?"

"There's this girl…"

Meryl's gaze darkened. Darien was too interested in his empty glass of whiskey to notice.

"…who I despise."

Meryl sipped slowly, "Because…?"

Darien fumbled with the right words, "Because she's a cheater."

"Darien, no girl has ever cheated on you–"

"I don't mean like that. I mean, academically. She's cheating, I think. Somehow."

Meryl was perplexed by this. The Yale system was extremely hard to cheat; not because the school was foolproof, but because all of the students were too damn smart to be outwitted by a faker, Darien included.

Then it hit her and before she could think she blurted out, "She's outdoing you."

Darien stiffened at the accusation and loosened his black tie. "…_Through cheating_."

Meryl started piecing together the story quicker than she was getting the pieces. Darien's entire world was being the best. And here his world was crumbling and the first person he turned to was her. This was very opportune.

Meryl decided to push Darien's hand and nonchalantly replied, "If she's cheating, present the evidence anonymously and let the situation take care of itself."

"Well, that's the thing… I don't actually have any."

"You know what my next question is, right Darien," Meryl started slowly. "Do you not have any evidence because it doesn't exist? Or does it just need to be found?"

For the first time, Darien warily locked eyes with Meryl. His midnight blue eyes revealed the real answer and without anything being said between the two Meryl understood completely why Darien had asked her here, why he had waited over an hour, and why he couldn't bring himself to say anything more out loud:

Darien Shields, the closest thing to perfection on Earth, was desperate. He didn't want this girl to be a cheater; he _needed_ for this girl to be a cheater. Deep down, he feared being a failure. And Meryl knew that fear was a powerful, powerful thing.

After a few moments of silence, Meryl broke eye contact, cleared her throat, and took a sip of her drink. "I'll help you."

Darien didn't know whether those words should have comforted him or not.

"However, I have a few things to say about this," Meryl continued. "She's not a cheater. Cheating is too obvious. If her academic integrity is attacked and she provides a reasonable defense, then it will become a witch hunt for the evil doer who preyed on the young and innocent academic."

Darien could feel himself falling deeper into the rabbit hole and wondered what on Earth he had done.

"If she really isn't worth it, there is probably something to be said about her personal life. That is something that people really can't judge. The fact that she's probably an overachiever would fuel the fire. _Secret lives and all_."

While Darien didn't feel comfortable with where Meryl was taking this, he did see the validity behind her rationale. The more he thought about it, the less he felt about the whole situation. If Meryl was the mastermind, then…

"All of this would be on condition, of course," Meryl interrupted.

Darien blinked out of his reverie and suddenly woke up to what he was doing. His sense of balance may have been off kilter, but his thoughts suddenly cleared for a moment. It took him several shots of whiskey to even stand being around this woman and here he was making a deal with her? All over some grades? Well, they weren't just any grades, but still. He was essentially putting everything in jeopardy for this shit.

"Nevermind. I don't need your help, Meryl. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

Meryl couldn't believe what she was hearing. Darien was probably just as shocked. Quickly, he stood up and threw a twenty dollar bill on the table. Meryl was too surprised to form any coherent sentences and by the time she could Darien was long gone.

Meryl wanted to cry; not out of sadness, but anger. She was so close and then Darien had to blow her off like that… for a second time in a year. For a few minutes, Meryl just sat there seething and thinking of every possible way to pay him back. And just as her anger hit a new boiling point, she came to a moment of clarity and remembered that she knew Darien's secret. The details were less than there, but those wouldn't be hard to piece together. Meryl would have to work a little harder, but who didn't like a hard day's work.

"Darien Shields, you will be mine."

**{Starry} | {June 2012}**

_**Hello again! Sorry this chapter took a little longer than expected. The good news is that I already have the next chapter written. Story goes that I wrote the now Chapter 3 storyline before this one, but I wanted to explore Meryl a little bit more before I incorporated so much into the storyline, considering she is an original character. Serena and Darien are beloved and their personalities will be easier to showcase later on, but Meryl is her own kind of crazy which I felt needed to be fleshed out a little more. In any case, this chapter isn't as juicy, but it sets up a lot of the plot. Hence, this has become Chapter 2. I'm not a big fan of solo scene, single dialogue chapters without follow-ups, so I will probably post the next chapter fairly soon. In any case, hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!**_


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